What are the major types of rice consumed by people all over the world?

Today, there are more than 40,000 varieties of rice that are said to exist in the world. However, the major types of rice that people all over the world consume can be categorized into these 10 types.

Long Grain Rice: The long grain rice is also called all-purpose rice because of its wide usage in different types of cooking. It is slim rice with 4-5 times more length than its width. This is majorly imported from the USA, Surinam, Spain, Italy, Thailand and Guyana.

Regular Long Grain White Rice: With a subtle flavor and fluffy effect post-cooking, this rice has a versatile use in a number of international savory dishes, especially Chinese cuisine. The husk and bran layer is removed using a special milling technique to give these 4-5 times long rice its white color.

Easy-Cook Long Grain White Rice: Also known as parboiled, pre-fluffed or converted rice, this type of rice is pre-steamed under pressure to give it a fluffy flavor and make it hard to avoid overcooking. The raw golden rice turns white upon cooking under steam and can perfectly be used for making rice salads.

Brown Long Grain Rice: Also known as wholegrain rice, the brown long grain rice has a distinctly nutty flavor owing to the bran layer that stays even after milling to remove the husk. This type of rice has more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It takes a longer time to cook and retains a chewy texture.

Specialty Rice: The specialty rice include a variety of rice type used for cooking special dishes like risotto, pudding, and glutinous; also including the aromatics rice. This type of rice is grown in the same location where it is cooked and eaten.

The Aromatics Rice: Owing to the presence of a natural ingredient named 2-acetyl 1-pyroline, aromatic rice is mainly used rendering a fragrant taste and special aroma to the rice dish. This rice is aged for years like wine to bring out its finest aroma.

Basmati Rice: Also known as ‘the prince of rice’, Basmati rice is slender grained aromatic rice found mainly in India and Pakistan. The fragrant flavor, unique aroma and the fluffy texture when cooked, make this rice a favorite in a number of Indian dishes.

Jasmine Rice: Also known as Thai Fragrant rice, the Jasmine rice is also popular for its aroma and fragrance. It is slim grained rice that becomes soft and sticky when cooked. The sticky nature of the rice makes it a favorite in Chinese and South East Asian food.

American Aromatics Rice: This type of rice is produced by the Americans. It has a mixed aroma of the Indian basmati and the Thai jasmine rice. They have a strong aroma and fragrant flavor.

Japonica Rice: Mainly grown in California, Japonica rice is a short and medium sized rice that comes in a variety of colors. You can find Japonica rice in colors like red, brown and black as well. It becomes clingy, moist and firm when cooked which makes it ideal for the preparation of a variety of Japanese and Caribbean cuisine.

Name the top rice producing state in India.

West Bengal has been entitled as the top rice producing state in India. The state is said to produce approximately 146.05 lakh tons of rice every year on more than 50 lakh hectares of dedicated land. The districts where rice is majorly produced in West Bengal are:

Hooghly

Burdwan

Howrah

Murshidabad

Nadia

Which is the largest rice producing country in the world?

China tops the list of the largest rice producing countries in the world. The country surpassed India in rice production a few years back. China presently produces 144,850,000 metric tons of rice every year, while India, at the second rank, produces 106,500,000metric tons of rice.

Which country is the largest importer of rice in the world?

The title of the largest importer of rice in the world has been given to China, which imports as much as 1.9 million metric tons of rice annually. Owing to its large population out of which most consider rice as their staple diet, the import of rice is predicted to grow at a high rate if China does not control its increasing population.

Which country is the largest exporter of rice in the world?

India has been entitled as the largest exporter of rice in the world. The country has 28.9% of share in the total world rice export which accounts to approximately 10.3 million metric tons in a year. As much as US$5.3 billion is brought into India annually from making a worldwide export of rice.